The report, ‘SPT: Delivering for West Dunbartonshire’, shows over £800,000 of capital funding was awarded to support a range of sustainable transport projects in the area between 2017 and 2021.

More than £900,000 of additional money was also awarded to West Dunbartonshire Council in 2021/22 to support their delivery.

Key projects include congestion reduction measures on the A814, which links West Dunbartonshire with both Argyll and Bute and Glasgow and has seen a significant increase in traffic volumes, resulting in slower bus running speeds.

Since 2017, SPT has awarded £594,000 to the council to improve traffic flow, and in 2019 funding from the travel body helped with the introduction of an extra westbound traffic lane to tackle the “congestion hotspot” on Glasgow Road at its junction with Mountblow Road.

Investigations have also been ongoing on ways to improve the Kilbowie Road bus route, and in and around Clydebank town centre.

Across West Dunbartonshire, SPT has maintained 509 bus stops and 257 shelters, and carried 1,300 children to and from school every day.

It also provided £150,000 of funding towards the design and delivery of “park and ride” facilities in the area, to help reduce the need to travel longer distances by car.

In 2018, a £70,000 contribution by SPT helped deliver a 60-space park and ride facility near Dunbarton train station, and it continues to support proposals by the council to introduce another facility next to Balloch train station.

West Dunbartonshire is one of is one of 12 council areas to benefit from funding provided by SPT, which also covers East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, Inverclyde and the Helensburgh and Lomond area of Argyll and Bute.

The transport body pointed out that the cross-council boundary nature of transport and travel means investment in one area will benefit all residents who travel for work or leisure.

Across the west of Scotland, SPT has supported 6.1 million bus station departures across Buchanan, Hamilton, East Kilbride, Greenock, Braehead and Silverburn in recent years.

It has sold 515,000 ZoneCard tickets since 2017/18 across the Subway and participating rail and bus operators, and 43.7 million Subway journeys have been taken since 2017.

It has supported 200 bus services run by around 20 operators on behalf of SPT, and has 33 MyBus services operating in the west of Scotland.

SPT has also invested in several regional projects in recent years, including the Subway Modernisation Project, its ongoing bus stop and shelter upgrade programme and its Real Time Passenger Information roll out.

Valerie Davidson, chief executive of SPT, said:

“We continue to deliver a range of services in West Dunbartonshire and across the region either directly or on behalf of councils.

“As this report shows, we have invested nearly £2 million over the last five years in sustainable transport projects in the area.

“SPT’s activities support the west of Scotland’s regional transport network to the benefit of all residents who travel across the area.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant impacts on our operational activities due to reduced travel demand, the majority of services were maintained to ensure transport remained in place for key workers and those making essential trips.”